Inside Man United's secret plans for Mason Greenwood: How broken star rebuilt his career on the pitch - and is raising a child with his girlfriend off it

To escape the storm, Manchester United sent Mason Greenwood to sunnier climes.

Redemption – given the harrowing footage that will forever remain – will never be the right word. But in the search for a way out of an almost impossible situation, those who make the decisions at Old Trafford chose to head down a route not many would have plotted.

Getafe is a two-and-a-half-hour flight and a world away from the Manchester goldfish bowl.

An unfashionable club based in the middle of a nondescript residential area on the southern outskirts of Madrid, their compact stadium, the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, has three sides without a roof, let alone a leaking one.

There is no megastore, only a boxroom-sized club shop on the ground floor of an apartment block over the road. Every decision, every performance, is not obsessed over by the media and a demanding global fanbase.

Only for the visit of La Liga’s giants do crowds approach the 15,000 mark. There is no history of major success, with a quarter-final appearance in the 2008 UEFA Cup as good as it has got. Until last summer, Getafe had no social media account. What it did have, however, was the ability to tick boxes in what was a complex situation.

In January 2022 and at the age of 20, Greenwood was already a first-team regular at one of world football’s biggest names. Having come through the academy, the Bradford-born striker, a lethal finisher, had netted 17 times in the 2019-20 season and had already picked up an England cap.

Then came the fall. Early on a Sunday morning, audio, video and pictures were posted on Instagram. In one graphic clip, a man could be heard shouting at his alleged victim to 'move your f****** legs you'. When the woman said that she did not want sex, the man responded: 'I don't give a f*** what you want, you little s***.'

Other images claimed to show injuries inflicted by United’s young centre-forward. An arrest and club suspension followed before Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, assault and coercive control. He denied the allegations and, thanks in no small part to the unwillingness of a key witness to testify, more than a year later the case against him was discontinued.

United then launched their own probe. They explored bringing Greenwood back into the fold but, when that news leaked, a furious backlash followed.

At the investigation’s conclusion, they instead announced that they would not be releasing a player on £75,000 a week - which would have left them not only out of pocket but also at grave risk of being sued - but would be seeking a future for him away from United.

Getafe seemed to fit. The view was that a season-long loan would allow Greenwood to compete in one of Europe’s best leagues, while playing for a smaller club in a major city in which he would be far from the star attraction. It would get him out of Manchester and buy them 12 months to figure out what to do next.

With eight games of the spell remaining, thoughts have now turned back to that question, which cannot be answered without examining how the move has worked out.

Perhaps the biggest testament to Greenwood’s performance on the pitch is that sources in Spain have disclosed that Getafe want to keep him for another year. The belief within the club is that extending the deal by a further 12 months is in everyone’s best interests.

Getafe are coached by the bespectacled veteran Jose Bordalas who is known as a driven, no-nonsense and smart character who gets the best out of his players. Officials feel that another season under his tutelage would elevate Greenwood to levels that would attract the likes of Barcelona and the two Madrid giants.

Staff identified early on that Greenwood, who turned up ‘sparrow-legged and in need of some time in the gym’, was trying to win matches on his own. Every now and then he would produce a brilliant performance but would then endure a flurry of matches in which his impact was limited.

On a training ground sandwiched between a motorway and a residential street, fans can stand on a bench to peer over the wall. What they may have seen over the past few months had they chosen to do so was a relentless focus on Greenwood’s all-round game.

His work tracking back and protecting his defence is said to have improved immeasurably and, while the brilliant performances are less common, there is now a level of consistency that had been previously lacking. ‘He now does not have as many nine out of tens but a lot less fours and fives and more sevens and eights,’ explained one insider.

The widely held view by those within the game in Spain is that Greenwood has matured as a player. Flashes of brilliance, reminders of the movement and composed finishing that made him one of Europe’s top prospects, remain. But he is now seen as a striker who takes on extra responsibilities.

Being in a side that is not expected to steamroller opponents and has to fight for every point appears to have added an extra dimension and work ethic to his game.

Perhaps the pinnacle of Greenwood’s time with Getafe came in December, following an upset 3-0 victory at Seville in which he tucked away a penalty and set one up. At the time, the loanee had two goals and three assists in his last six matches and Spanish media went into a frenzy, with regular reports that he was now a target for Barcelona.

That did not tally with what they thought at Getafe, who believed such praise was exaggerated and that there was much more to be done.

Now, with eight games remaining, there is a clearer picture. In 25 starts, Greenwood has scored eight goals, with two of those coming in a 12-0 rout of minnows Tardienta in the Copa Del Rey.

It may not appear that he has set the world on fire but perhaps more tellingly Getafe are currently 11th in La Liga and 13 points clear of relegation. That is some progress for a club that avoided the drop by two points last term and – before Greenwood’s arrival – were widely tipped to spend 2023-24 battling to retain their top-flight status.

Unsurprisingly, none of the above has gone unnoticed at United, who are already exploring what to do when the spell comes to an end. In March, now-departed football director John Murtough and director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves headed to Barcelona and Madrid to meet counterparts. While the topic of Greenwood was on the agenda, he was one of a number of items.

It is understood that United are working on the assumption that Greenwood will be sold this summer. Should that be the case, there would be no shortage of offers. Whether they get to an acceptable price remains to be seen. Lazio, whom Greenwood nearly joined on loan ahead of Getafe, may revisit the situation. Expressions of interest have been made by clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.

Brexit may also have an impact. In Spain, clubs are only permitted four non-EU players. With high numbers of South Americans in La Liga, those spots are precious – so much so that Jude Bellingham was reportedly asked to apply for an Irish passport at Real Madrid, to clear one of the slots.

Barcelona have well-publicised financial issues and there would appear to be no need for Greenwood at Madrid’s two powerhouses. Some feel a step up to an ‘in-betweener’ – a club of higher stature than Getafe but outside the elite, such as a Valencia, would be a wise step.

United - who are believed to still be paying a large chunk of Greenwood’s wages, with Getafe making a small contribution - have three options. 

The first is to sell now, and attracting a fee of, say £25m to £30m for a homegrown product would free up much-needed room in the all-important Profit and Sustainability accounts. It would also take away the noise and the problem. They could reflect that they stood by their player, ensured his career remained afloat and wish him the best on his way out of the building.

The second is the nuclear option - to keep Greenwood and reintegrate him back into the squad. Such a move could prove highly controversial among players in United’s women’s side, sections of the club’s support and society at large.

In his first sit-down interview since taking a 25 per cent stake, one of the many headlines Sir Jim Ratcliffe provided was that a final decision had not yet been made and that remains the case. Ratcliffe and his leadership team are still poring over the extensive evidence that United collated during their own review.

On the field, there can be no getting away from the fact that they are a striker short. Rasmus Hojlund has showed flashes of talent but looks increasingly like a project rather than the finished article. There is no natural goalscorer currently on the books. Those who know him say Ratcliffe is not the type to be influenced by external noise. He will make whichever decision he feels is best for the football club. Extensive PR preparation was carried out last summer, when United were considering bringing Greenwood back, and could be revisited should it be needed.

The final option would be to send Greenwood out on loan for another year. While his contract runs out in 2025, United do have the option to extend for 12 months. Allowing him to run that down and leave on a free is unrealistic, given the finances and the work they have undertaken so far. Another year in Spain, as Getafe believe, may well ensure that when he returns his fee gets higher. It would also place more time between that audio and their decision.

Remaining in the environment may be attractive. Off the field there have been no complaints. No reports in the Spanish media of him revving a high-powered car around the roads of Madrid as there were in Altrincham during lockdown - when police visited United’s training ground to have a quiet word about his behaviour.

Those who know him talk of an adjustment to a slower pace of life. Precious spare time is spent in some of the city’s best restaurants rather than its bars and nightclubs. When Greenwood first arrived in the Spanish capital he was accompanied by a member of staff from United’s player care team. However, after finding permanent accommodation which, contrary to reports, is paid for by the player and not his parent club, the officer returned to the UK.

While United have kept an eye on Greenwood’s private life, they appear to have had little reason for alarm. He and his partner are raising the child they have together throughout its first year. Greenwood’s father is a reassuring presence.

As a player, he has been accepted by the rest of the dressing room from the outset and now has a group of close friends within it.

There was animosity from the stands at the start of the season, with abusive chants aimed in Greenwood’s direction from sections of the support at the likes of Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao, clubs with some of the country’s more raucous fanbases.

But among the small band of Getafe fans he is viewed as a hero. When he arrived there was virtually no talk of the allegations. All of the focus in the small number of bars and tapas haunts close to the stadium was of his talent, and of how the club felt blessed to have a player of such standing. Little has happened to change that view. They want him back.

A summer of key decisions lies ahead for Ratcliffe and Ineos at Old Trafford, not least on the future of manager Erik ten Hag. Few, however, will involve as much groundwork and soul searching as the call on what next for Mason Greenwood.